India orders construction of 16 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts

A concept CGI of the ASWSWC to be built by GRSE and CSL for the Indian Navy.


The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has officially ordered the construction of sixteen (16) new Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow-Water Crafts (ASWSWC) for the Indian Navy (IN) from two state-owned shipbuilders, with an overall cost of around US$1.82 billion.

A contract was signed between the MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) on 29 April 2019 for INR63.113 billion (US$910 million) for eight (8) ASWSWCs, while another contract with the same quantity and contract value was signed with Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) on 30 April 2019.

Both shipyards are required to deliver the first ships within 42 months of contract signing, and subsequent ships delivered every 6 months. Both shipyards need to complete delivery within 84 months of contract signing.

CSL was declared the lowest bidder in a public bidding conducted by the MoD in 2017, while GRSE was the second lowest bidder. It was decided by the MoD that both companies will share the project, with the second lowest bidder accepting to build the ships at the same price offered by the lowest bidder.

The ASWSWC are expected to replace the ageing Russian-built Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy, which were commissioned between 1989 and 1991. The ASWSWCs will also complement the larger Kamorta-class ASW corvettes that are used for deep-water anti-submarine warfare missions.

Each ASWSWC will have a length of around 70 meters, a deep displacement of 750 tons, a maximum speed of 25 knots, a maximum range of 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 kilometers) at a cruising sped of 14 knots, and a complement of 7 officers and 50 sailors.

The ships are to be equipped with a full-scale sub surface surveillance system for coastal waters, and capable of coordinated ASW operations with aircraft. It will also be able to hunt and destroy submarines or sub-surface targets in coastal waters, and conduct all weather search and rescue in littoral waters

Secondary missions include mine laying, and “prosecuting” intruding aircraft.

The ships will be armed with anti-submarine torpedoes and rocket launching systems, and two 12.7mm machine guns in remote weapon stations.



[1] The Economic Times
[2] Business Standard
[3] Jane’s Defence Weekly

India orders construction of 16 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts India orders construction of 16 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal on May 01, 2019 Rating: 5

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